Q: I’m a lifelong Catholic who recently gave birth after moving to a new city. When I went to our local parish to ask about having our baby baptized, the parish secretary said they would need a record of six months of parish offertory envelopes with our name on it. But we haven’t been at this parish for that long. Is six months of envelopes a normal requirement in most places? I was always taught that you should baptize a baby right away.
A: You are correct that the Church teaches that newborn infants should be baptized as soon as reasonably possible. While the Church doesn’t give us a strict time limit, Canon 867 of the Code of Canon Law indicates that: “Parents are obliged to see that their infants are baptized within the first few weeks (of life).”
At the same time, under normal circumstances it is to be expected that a parish would be reluctant to baptize an infant without having some pastoral contact with the parents beforehand.
This is also envisioned in the Church’s law, which tells us: “The celebration of baptism should be properly prepared. Accordingly … the parents of a child who is to be baptized, and those who are to undertake the office of sponsors (godparents), are to be suitably instructed on the meaning of this sacrament and the obligations attaching to it” (Canon 851).
In light of this, Canon 867 goes on to state: “As soon as possible after the birth, indeed even before it, (the parents) are to approach the parish priest to ask for the sacrament for their child, and to be themselves duly prepared for it.”
However, it’s good to keep in mind that if an infant is in danger of death, all bets are off and the child should be baptized immediately, regardless of whether or not the parents have been “suitably instructed” (See Canon 867, 2). And in this kind of scenario anyone with the proper intention, even layperson or a non-Catholic, can validly and licitly confer baptism (Canon 861, 2).
But even in normal situations where there is no immediate danger of death, canon law does not mandate any particular formation program for the parents of an infant to be baptized, nor does it specify any particular length of time for pre-baptismal instruction.
Also, while the Church desires that parents be duly instructed on the obligations that arise from the baptism of their infant, the Church does not require any special degree of parental holiness. And technically, the parents do not even have to be practicing Catholics in order to have their infant child baptized in the Catholic Church! The minimum requirement for an infant to be baptized is that at least one parent consent to the baptism, and that there is a “founded hope” — meaning that such a hope is not “altogether lacking” — the child will be raised Catholic (Canon 868).
Regarding your personal situation, obviously I only know the minimal details of what you have shared here. But my guess is that your parish was confusing the eligibility for infant baptism with the higher bar of eligibility for something like serving as a godparent.
My thought is that your parish was probably using the envelope system as a way to verify that you are a practicing Catholic. Because if they were requiring monetary contribution as a condition for your child to be baptized, then this would veer into the sin and canonical crime of simony (the crime of buying or selling a sacrament or other spiritual good; see Canon 1380).
My advice is to try to speak to the pastor of your parish directly and explain your situation. But at the end of the day, the priority is to have your baby baptized as soon as possible. So if your pastor is unwilling to budge on the six-month timeline, you might consider approaching other parishes or even reaching out to your diocese.
Jenna Marie Cooper, who holds a licentiate in canon law, is a consecrated virgin and a canonist whose column appears weekly at OSV News. Send your questions to CatholicQA@osv.com.
